A Fierce Battle, A One-on-One Duel.

Honestly, swept up in the momentum, accepting a one-on-one duel might have been a bad move.

I’d heavily doped her with HP Augmentation, Attack Enhancement, and Defense Enhancement potions, and she had the support of Paula’s status-boosting familiar master skills. The opponent was likely Level 20 or higher, but the gap should have been sufficiently bridged.

And yet, I couldn’t shake my anxiety. In a normal boss battle, even if someone takes a heavy hit, someone else can buy time while we use medicine to heal. But in this fight, no such assistance was permitted.

Thinking of the worst-case scenario, I whispered instructions to the others.

“If it comes down to it, we’ll all jump in and take down the Boss Goblin together.”

“Yeah, I’m in! But Yoru-chi is strong, I’m sure she’ll win!”

“Understood. Give us the signal if the time comes.”

“However, if we do that…”

The Chief looked around at the goblins filling the arena. I replied while measuring the distance to the back of the room.

“If we defeat that King, the bars will go up. If we dive into the floor below, the goblins won’t be able to follow us.”

“…I see.”

However, before that, there was a high probability we’d be showered with arrows. The Chief likely realized there was no guarantee everyone would get out unscathed. He said nothing more, merely setting his jaw.

Finally, I looked at Paula, who was silently staring at me. In those crimson eyes, her usual soft light was gone. I couldn’t find any words; I simply nodded.

Perhaps worried about his sister, Kuu approached and clung to my leg. I picked him up and stroked Yoru’s head with him; the beast-child purred happily. After this, all we could do was believe.

“Commence!”

As Yoru stepped out into the arena with a steady stride, titters of laughter leaked from the spectator seats. After all, the height difference was nearly three-fold. To an outsider, the outcome would have seemed obvious before it even began.

However, the moment the King picked up the massive bone club leaning against his throne, the spectators went dead silent. The goblin gave the femur a light swing to test its weight, then bared his fangs at the small challenger.

In the next instant, the curtain on the battle was torn open.

Yoru closed the distance instantly in four-legged mode. A small shadow racing inches from the ground, she nimbly ducked under the downward swing of the club. The King, his leg tendon gouged by a strike from sharp claws, let out an irritated shout. The arrogance vanished from his expression, replaced by the face of a warrior.

The goblin dropped his hips into a forward-leaning stance. Simultaneously, the wide swings of the club shifted into sharp, piercing thrusts. With his superior reach, the King gained the advantage in an instant.

Or so it should have been, but Yoru’s feet didn’t stop. She dashed across the ground like a bolt of lightning, skillfully evading the club while inflicting wounds. As expected, her Speed stat was considerably higher.

“GWAAARGH!!”

Fed up with Yoru’s agile movements, the King straightened his upper body and let out a roar of rage. But the beast-child wasn’t one to miss such an opening. She closed the distance in a flash, lunging into the goblin’s chest—

“Watch out!”

At that moment, the King’s body moved at double speed, and the club swung in a terrifying horizontal sweep.

—Rush Attack.

It was a goblin specialty skill. The club, delivered in a continuous flurry, caught Yoru’s body dead center and followed through with immense force. The small shadow went flying. Yoru bounced and tumbled across the arena floor, finally coming to a stop when she slammed into the wall.

Seeing her fall limply, I cried out instinctively.

“Yoru!”

“No, she’s fine.”

“Eh?”

“Just before the club hit, she jumped backward to dissipate the impact. Look.”

Hans-san suddenly started explaining a technique that sounded like something out of an early chapter of a martial arts manga. But his words were true; Yoru stood back up with a nonchalant face. I hurriedly checked her status, but her HP had only decreased by 5.

As I let out a deep sigh of relief, Hans-san voiced his admiration.

“But still, to respond so well to that… as expected of Lady Yoru.”

“I told her beforehand that he might have a specialty like that. I told her to be careful when closing in…”

“I see, so that’s why.”

I felt a slight prick of realization at my own words, but a massive cheer erupted from the crowd, so I hurriedly shifted my gaze back to the fight. The beast-child, now back on her feet, seemed to have shifted up another gear. With even more accelerated movements, she raced through the King’s field of vision, toyed with him.

As a result, his bleeding slowly increased, and the movements of his massive body gradually slowed. Conversely, Yoru’s feet never stopped. She saw through the trajectory of the club with ease, mercilessly sinking her claws in. At this point, the difference in their status values was becoming clearly apparent.

In desperation, the King let out another roar. But the second Rush Attack, unleashed with all his might, did nothing but cut the air as Yoru danced around it with light steps.

And then, as the goblin’s movement stopped, the beast-child’s specialty finally exploded. Yoru leaped high, gave her hips a wiggle, and something long shot out from the base—

As if he’d been waiting for it, the goblin’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

“This is bad!”

After a split second, the goblin’s mouth opened wide, and a massive amount of air was exhaled. Simultaneously, a stench so foul it felt like my nose would rot off filled the area instantly.

—Foul Breath.

It was the goblin’s second specialty. Having taken a direct hit of the garlic stench she hated at point-blank range, Yoru’s eyes went wide, her mouth hung open, and she stopped dead. Immediately, the King’s hand shot out, firmly grabbing the end of Yoru’s tail. Dangled in the air, the beast-child struggled painfully, but escape was impossible.

“Dammit!”

Realizing the point I’d overlooked, I cursed, grinding my teeth in anger. I should have known the Goblin King was at least Level 20. If so, there was every possibility he had two or more specialties, as they are learned every 10 levels. If I’d realized that beforehand, we surely could have avoided this pinch.

With her tail gripped tight, Yoru let out a small shriek and went limp. At that, the King opened his mouth to its limit, baring his sharp fangs. The bone club rose slowly, held high above his head. Simultaneously, the anticipatory laughter of the spectators echoed through the arena.

“Let’s go. We’re saving Yoru.”

“Wait, my Lord.”

It was Paula who spoke, her voice a sharp command to halt. She stepped in front of me as I panicked and shook her head to calm me.

“The match is not yet decided.”

“What are you saying…?”

Even as we had our leisurely conversation, the clamor of the goblins thirsting for blood grew louder and louder. Certain of his victory, the King leaned his face in, licking his lips at his helpless prey.

At that moment, Yoru snapped her eyes open. And then, a liquid shot from her mouth with a whoosh. The mysterious liquid crossed the air in a straight line, hitting the King’s defenseless face directly.

Instantly, white smoke and a terrible scream erupted. The goblin, his eyeballs dissolved by the Digestive Fluid, clutched his face with both hands, unable to endure the agony. Into his throat, the freed Yoru’s tail bit deep.

“Heh…!?”

For a second, it looked like a different creature was growing out of Yoru’s rear. I scrambled to confirm, but the tail was already tucked back into her backside like a measuring tape. The beast-child spun through the air three times and landed gracefully on her toes.

Behind her, the King—who had been writhing in pain and clawing at his eyes—suddenly convulsed and slumped to the ground. The skin of his upper body was beautifully stained purple. After shivering a few more times, the goblin stopped moving and went silent.

While the entire audience held their breath and watched, the iron bars began to lift soundlessly.

“Target eliminated—”

A massive roar of applause broke out. Goblins sent up unrestrained cheers for Yoru as she climbed onto the King’s body and gave a victory cry. Not only that—to honor the winner, they started throwing garlic in, one after another. Surrounded instantly by the smell she hated, Yoru’s face went pale. And then, she collapsed right on top of the goblin.

“Regret—”

As I scrambled to rescue her, the two female attendants who had retreated earlier stepped forward and helped Yoru up. After seating the limp beast-child on the throne, they placed the small silver crown gently on her head. At the birth of a new King, the goblins’ excitement reached its peak.

Watching the scene, I finally felt my heart return to its place and exhaled a deep breath from the bottom of my lungs.